Christmas

Ben thought that he needed to have his mommy set the alarm for 6am Christmas morning. Much to his surprise, that was not happening. We let him sleep for as long as he needs and if he happens to wake up early then so be it. Well, he was awake by 6:30 Thursday morning and was so excited to go down and see what Santa left for him and open the rest of his gifts. He climbed into our bed with the Mickey stocking that Santa brings up to his door. We couldn't keep him cuddled in bed for very long before we were off to the living room. Below are a few of his favorite things.

Golf Clubs from Grandma and Grandpa Campbell so we can go golfing again this summer.

Lego Star Wars. He is really into Lego's and anything to do with Star Wars is a hit.

This was his favorite by far. Chad is delaying him a bit as there are 800 pieces to this and he is going to need Daddy to help. If Santa put things together at our house this wouldn't be in the box still but everything stays boxed in this household. Maybe I'll have to work on that in future years.

Disney World

Chad, Ben and I just spent a wonderful week in Orlando with another family. We rented a 5 bedroom, 4 bath house with a great pool and hottub. Exactly what we needed after long days at the parks. Oh how I wish we were still there. The temperatures there were in the 70's for the most part. Returning home to strong winds and temp's in the single digits is not what I was looking forward to. Here are few pics of our trip. I'll have to add some video later of Ben before a rollercoaster and then after he went on it.

Little Ben and Big Ben

On Saturday, we went to visit Big Ben with Little Ben. It was so nice to get to spend a little bit of time with Gma and Gpa Colson. Chad needed to do a few updates to Grandpa's laptop while we were up there. Big Ben was up to his jokes again. He told Little Ben to come sit on the foot rest of his chair, he wanted to hug him with his legs. Ben didn't want to because he said the footrest wouldn't stay up, but Gpa insisted that it wouldn't fall down. Ben went over sat down and plop to the floor he went. Gpa got a kick out of that one. I'm kicking myself now because I forgot to take my camera with me to get some pictures of them together.

Black Friday Madness

Chad, Ben and I joined the rest of the family at Kurt and Melissa's for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast. After eating just the right amount of everything, we scoured the ads. Office Depot was advertising an HP Laptop for an amazing price of $349 after an instant savings of $200 and an additional $50 mail in rebate. Who could pass that up???

Well, Melissa and I went into Asbury to see what Michael's had on special Thanksgiving night. On our way back home we were coming up with an idea of how the guys could sit outside Office Depot to make sure that we got the laptops. Well, after we made a few comments to the boys about how they could do it and stay warm we realized they weren't going to sit outside all night. That meant that if we really wanted the laptops that we were given the green light to get then we would have to brave the cold and crowds.

After the boys went to bed, the two of us took a couple hour nap and woke up around 11:40 pm to leave the house by midnight. When we arrived at the store there were already 6 people in line(the add said minimum of 6). Thankfully you could see in the window that there were 11 waiting to be purchased at 6am on Friday. So, armed with sleeping bags and a couple chairs we joined those already there. The wait was oh so worth it. We got our computers that we braved the cold for. The only items that were really cold was our feet.

We got a few other good bargains as well. Some memory cards for the cameras at $14.99 each and a laser color printer that Chad wanted but didn't want to sit outside for. There were only 3 of these printers at the store and no tickets for that. He is so spoiled. hehe

We were able to watch all of the crazy people flock into Kohl's at 4 am, some of them running like they were going to miss out on something only to wait in a line to check out that went all the way to the back of the store. We only know how long the lines were because the nice coffee shop came by with cups of coffee for a dollar so after drinking that at 3:30 we needed to use the restroom.

We finally made it back home after a nice hot breakfast at Perkins and a few other stops. I was so tired when we go back but just like any other kid, we had to open our new toys.

Upcoming Changes

Some of you may have read a comment posted by me in Melissa's blog and wonder what I am talking about. Well, come January, I will be leaving my job at Principal Financial Group after 11 years and become a full time employee at Fareway. There are some mixed emotions that come with this but mostly excitement. I find it hard to imagine what it will be like to not drive to Des Moines to work each day and sit at a desk all day long. I have enjoyed the work that I do but being back at Fareway a couple days a week right now has made me realize how much I miss the interactions with customers that you see on a daily or weekly basis. Some you don't care for but most you get to know rather well and it makes your day when they come through and chat for a few minutes.

I am excited to know that I will be able to spend more time at home with Ben and that he will not have to go to daycare before and after school. Though, he will have to go during the summer unless Gma and Gpa decide that they would like to watch him again (crossing my fingers). =) That is an option but not one that has to become reality. Ben really enjoys playing with the friends that he has made at daycare. We'll just have to cross that bridge when it gets here.

Chad is going to be able to work from home a couple days a week and my schedule will allow me to have shorter work days on those days that he will be in DM. He has already told me that when the weather is bad that he won't feel obliged to go in since I won't be with him. He has team mates that live in DM that don't even go in so it doesn't make sense for him to take chances in bad weather.

I'll update more once we transition to me being in Boone every day and Ben adjusting to not seeing his friends at daycare. All for now.

Ben's feelings

I didn't realize until this past Saturday how much Ben has listened to conversations between Chad and myself. Ben and I were eating breakfast and Chad was updating me on Gpa Ben. The next thing I know Ben has his hands covering his face and tears coming down. I asked him what was wrong and he just said that he was really worried about Gpa Ben. I assured him that Gpa was getting better and that the doctors are doing everything they can to help him get better. We shared some tears together on that one.

We gave Ben an update a few days later when we got one from Judy and he was much happier after that.

I just got a text from Chad that said we were going to meet Dave and Judy for supper Friday night and Ben is so excited. His eyes lit up more than I have seen in quite some time. We haven't seen Gma and Gpa since they left in August. This is a long awaited reunion for all of us.

Weekend Visitor

Chad, Ben and I were suppose to visit the Starling's in Minnesota this weekend but due to an unfortunate circumstance that didn't happen. Jamie and Chloe flew out to Boston for a family funeral. I am sorry for your loss.

After Aaron got done with work on Saturday he came down to spend the weekend with us. We didn't really have anything planned but it was nice to spend some time with him. Sunday we went to Des Moines and wondered around for a while and then came home and watched a few movies. Monday we are just hanging around again and will spend some time outdoors so Ben can release some of his pent up energy. He'll have even more excitement when Josh arrives. I'll have to try and get some pictures and post them later. I am so bad about not having my camera out.

It's amazing how different Ben acts when family is around that he doesn't see very often. He is just so excited and just can't leave Aaron alone. Thank goodness Aaron doesn't mind. Aaron commented that he can't wait until Chloe is old enough to get this excited about company. I think he might change his mind when you feel so bad that your child won't stop jumping on company. Sorry Aaron.

We will have to get up to Minnesota again before the snow falls.

Ben is now looking forward to Kurt, Melissa, Keitan and Andrew visiting next weekend. I have a feeling this entire week will be nothing but the same question over and over again. "When are Keitan and Andrew going to be here" Can't wait to see everyone.

Hubby Stuff

Husband Tag

What is his name? Chad

How long did you date? Two years and 2 months.

How long have you been married? 11 yrs and 4 months.

Who eats more sweets? I do.

Who said I love you first? I'm not sure. Probably me.

Who is taller? He is.

Who is a better singer? Probably Chad. I don't sing much.

Who is smarter? Chad

Who does the laundry? Chad does on Saturday while I'm at work, but leaves it in the baskets on the dining room table for me to put away and iron.

Who pays the bills? He does. We wouldn't have a budget if I did it.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does

Who mows the lawn? Both of us.

Who cooks dinner? Usually me but he likes to grill.

Who drives? Mostly Chad on trips. 50/50 when commuting to work.

Who is more stubborn? He says I am but I think it's pretty equal.

Who kissed who first? I think it was him.

Who asked who out? I don't think either asked. It was mutual that we started being together.

Who is more sensitive? Me for sure.

Who wears the pants? Chad

Time for an Update

Since I didn't update this when Ben got home from Grandma and Grandpa's place in July I think I'll just skip ahead a couple weeks.

I received a call at work on Friday, July 25 that Ben would need to be picked up from daycare and he wouldn't be able to come back that day. Evidently they forgot to tell me that he injured another little boy on Thursday (he was playing tug of war with a pencil and the other little boy let go, thus Ben hitting another kid in the face as he flung backwards). On Friday, he decided he wanted to see what a block of Lego's that he put together would do if he threw them against a wood shelf. Well, the same little boy that got hit with the pencil took a blow right between the eyes. Yes, there was blood with this one and Ben felt terrible. Rules are rules and since he had injured someone two days in a row he had to go home.

So, I'm frantically trying to figure out how we were going to leave work with the both us had meetings and it's not like we work in the same town as daycare. Daycare is in Boone and we both work in Des Moines. Thankfully Grandma Starling hadn't left for Nebraska for a visit with family and friends so she was able to go and get him.

When we got home that night we sat down and had a fairly lengthy talk about what is appropriate at daycare and what isn't. We told him there would be consequences and he wasn't going to like it. Ben is into electronics just like his dad so we had to take something away that was really going to make an impression. All electronics that he is allowed to play with were gone for a week (Nintendo DS, Wii, DVD player, computer) and if he didn't behave at daycare the following week then the DS and DVD player may not be going on vacation with us.

Yes, this would have been punishment for us as well but we had to do it. Each day we would ask him if everything went okay or not. Thankfully he made it 4 days without causing any big problems. So, the DS and movies were able to travel with us.

Missing Ben

Ben,

With you at Grandma's for the week it is so quiet around the house. Even though you have been gone for just over 24 hours I still miss you lots. I hope you are enjoying your time with Gma & Gpa Starling. I know Grandma misses you tons since she stopped watching you last summer.

Love,

Mommy

School finally is over for the year. Ben was rather excited but also sad at the same time. He really connected with his teacher and he realizes that with going into 1st grade this fall means he will have a different teacher. Anyway, now that school is out it was time to have our first real summer cut. I thought that we used a number one on the clippers last summer but after taking the first strip, realized we only went down to a two. Mom is adjusting to it being this short; Ben and Dad really like it this way. Guess I'll be giving trims every two weeks now to keep it up. Does it look too short??

T-Ball

Tonight was Ben's 3rd t-ball game. I have to say that at this age anything more than a couple innings is painful to watch. It has been comical to watch them in the beginning but their attention span just isn't there. Here are a few shots of Ben at bat and in the field. He is playing 3rd base in the first picture and this was at the end of the game. See what I mean about keeping the attention???

My Anniversary Present

Chad and Ben came home the other day and said they wanted to get me new pots and pans for our 11th anniversary and Mother's Day combined. Most people wouldn't find that very exciting but I sure did. I needed to choose between the Rachael Ray Stainless Steel or her anodized set. I have wanted to go back to stainless steel for quite a while now. So, after reading reviews I decided to go for the stainless steel. I can't wait to cook on them now. Hopefully they are as good as the ones I grew up cooking on.

Feeling a little guilty since we said we weren't going to do gifts for each other, Ben and I decided to trade in the Gameboy Advance. Ben was so excited to finally be able to get his dad the Nintendo DS. Now Ben and his dad can play games against each other whenever they want.

More than you wanted to know

1. Where were you 3 hours ago?
at Wal-Mart

2. Who are you in love with?
Chad and Ben

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?
Nope

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
Does a Kleenex box count??

5. When is the last time you went to the mall?
Saturday with Jamie, Judy and Chloe

6. Are you wearing socks right now?
yes - it's a little chilly

7. Do you have a car worth over $2,000?
yep

8. When was the last time you drove out of town?
Saturday morning, drove back into town Sunday

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
no

10. Are you hot?

I hope Chad thinks so.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Diet Mt. Dew

12. What are you wearing right now?
Jeans, brown long sleeve shirt, socks

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?
I do both depending on if it's warm enough or not.

14. Last food that you ate?
Crackers

15. Where were you last week at this time?
Putting Ben to bed.

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Yes, three shirts.

17. When is the last time you ran?
I have never been a runner unless you count running bases in softball.

18. What's the last sporting event you watched?
Baseball

19. What is your favorite animal?
cat

20. Your dream vacation?
Sunshine, white sand beaches and a fruity drink in one hand.

21. Last person's house you were in?
Aaron and Jami's

22. Worst injury you've ever had?
Spraining my ankle so bad when Ben was 2 that I couldn't walk on it. Did I mention we were in Chicago and Chad was at a business conference so we were stuck in the hotel room.


23. Have you been in love?
Yes

24. Do you miss anyone right now?
Yes

25. Last play you saw?
It would have been some high school play back in the 90's.


26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
I'm not sure. You'll have to ask Chad.

27. What are your plans for tonight?
Going to bed shortly.

28. Who is the last person you sent a facebook message or comment?
I don't use facebook.

29. Next trip you are going to take?
Maybe Labor Day weekend to Rochester.

30. Ever go to camp?
Yes

31. Were you an honor roll student in school?
yes

32. What do you want to know about the future?
I don't

33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
Only the smell of burning wood from the neighbors

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor's visit?
Sometime this fall

35. Where is your best friend/s?
Home with her family in Adel

36. How is your best friend?
Good.


37. Do you have a tan?
no

38. What are you listening to right now?
Chad playing Guitar Hero on the Wii

39. Do you collect anything?
Box Tops for Ben

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?
Not really sure

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?
September of 2000 on our way to Montana


42. Have you ever drunk your soda from a straw?
I don't drink soda, but have have drank pop from a straw.

43. What does your last text message say?

Sent Chad txt and he didn't answer. did u guys get batteries. This was sent to Aaron

44. Do you like hot sauce?
a little bit

45. Do you need to do laundry?
I think Chad has a load to do from our weekend trip.

46. Are you someones best friend?
Yes

47. What were you doing at 12AM last night?
Sleeping.

Tired of Snow and Cold

I am so tired of snow and cold weather. It snowed in Des Moines for most of the afternoon. The weather made for a slow drive out of DM until we got to Granger and it was just raining by then. I am ready for sunshine, green grass and warm summer breezes.

Update to our health: Ben has been cleared of all pneumonia and flu. He has now come down with the common cold; stuffy nose and chest cough. I contracted a sinus infection which led to double ear infection a couple weeks ago. I completed 10 days of medicine and just this week feel like my ears have gone back to normal. Chad just finished antibiotics for some sort of throat infection. The strep test came back negative but the doctor still gave him a script for meds so that if he wasn't feeling better after 3-5 days that he could fill it. We made it three days before filling the script as his throat was hurting more with each day that passed.

I hope that everyone else is healthy now. I'll eventually post some pictures but I have to do that from my PC in the office and not the laptop in the living room.

360 degree turn around

Wednesday Ben slept in until 9 am. I think that he was just trying to get caught up on the sleep he had been missing this past week. It is amazing what two shots in the leg will do for a kid. The fever is now gone, hurray, hurray, hurray! He didn't want to lay around and sleep all day long. He is full of smiles and giggles now and bugging Daddy to play MarioKart on the Wii. He hasn't wanted to do this for a long time so of course Daddy will go along with it.

Mommy gets to go back to work on Thursday and Ben will spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Starling. It's wonderful to have them close by still and willing to keep him when he isn't completely up to par.

We need warm weather!

Sunday came and his temperature hadn't improved so we called 1st Nurse and got him into the Sunday clinic. Dr Paschen didn't like that the fever was still around so Ben got to have his finger poked to check his white blood count. Everything was normal Sunday. Fast-forward to Tuesday morning. Ben woke up with a temperature of 102 so I got to take a day off from work. By 11 am his fever was up to 105. Another call to 1st Nurse and she said to call Pediatrics and let them know that Ben needs to be seen today. Our doctor had the afternoon off since he worked the Sunday morning clinic so we got to see the Nurse Practioner. At this point I really didn't care who we saw. I just want to get my baby better. She hears a crackle in the chest and wants to do another blood test to see if his white count has increased and also take a chest xray. After a few minutes of screaming and crying at the lab they poke his finger and the screaming stops. He then sits there and watches as they collect the blood in the tube. We got done there and went of to Radiology for the xray. He was fine with that since it wouldn't hurt and they woldn't be poking him any more.

The results are back. His white count is up to around 14, Sunday it was a 9. He has a rather large spot on his lung. It's pneumonia and we get to have two shots, one in each leg and ten days of antibiotics. The weird thing is, Ben doesn't mind shots. He laid there and watched the nurses the entire time.

We go back to the doctor on Friday to make sure that this is clearing up.

Another Saturday Night

It's Saturday evening, Ben is napping on the couch, Chad is playing some game on the Xbox and we haven't had supper yet. I'm hoping that this nap will break Ben's fever that he has been running since Thursday. What a way to spend your 6th birthday; at home with the flu. I had ordered cupcakes from the store so that he could take them to school that day, the cupcakes made it there but he didn't. He really didn't seem to upset about it so I know that he really wasn't feeling well. If his fever isn't gone tonight we get to go to the Sunday clinic and visit another doctor. We have been to the doctor more already this year than the last two years combined. As you can tell he usually isn't sick enough for me to run him to the doctor. I usually just push the fluids and let it run it's course. I better get the leftover hamburger casserole reheated and go do my grocery shopping. Not really something I want to do since I worked at the store all day. Oh well, what am I to do.

New to this blog stuff

I decided that I should take Chad's advice and try blogging. I am not really sure how well I will like it or if I will even post that much. Only time will tell if I really enjoy this or not. I don't really feel that I have a ton of time to devote to this. I work a full time job, a part time job that is usually around 15 - 20 hours a week. On top of that I have to keep the house looking somewhat organized and cook meals. Thankfully, Chad does laundry for us so we have clean clothes to wear.